A FORTNIGHT AT GAVARMK. 157 



A Fortnight at Gavarnie, Hautes-Pyrenees. {Witli tno jdates.) 



By G. T. BETHUNE-BAKER, F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 {Concluded from pai/e 152.) 



After this Mr. Wainwright joined us, and we had a glorious walk 

 to the Port d'Espagne, taking the bridle-path on the north side of the 

 mountains. Some parts of the way were very steep, but very delight- 

 ful, and as we dispersed more or less a flock of sheep sheltering from 

 the broiling sun beneath a vast rock, we realised something of its 

 steepness for a short distance, where we had to cling to any herbage or 

 tyifts of grass that were strong enough to hold us. Ere long, however, 

 we found ourselves on a lovely soft green pasture, and smooth as 

 velvet, along which we wandered until my attention was attracted by 

 a pair of Urhicola comnia, that were evidently courting. They flew 

 rapidly together for a few yards and then settled, the female in front 

 of the male. After a moment or two of antennal agitation, the male 

 slowly walked up beside the female with much waving of the antenna;, 

 until he was fully alongside of her, when they remained quite motionless, 

 except for their antennae, for quite a couple of minutes, when another 

 sudden short flight occurred, the female taking the lead and being 

 closely followed by the male. This was followed, on alighting, by 

 another performance exactly like that just described ; over and over 

 again this occurred for quite ten minutes, when I dropped on to my 

 knees to see if there was any flexion of the male's abdomen, in this 

 position T got quite close, but apparently there was no attempt at 

 copulation. Being so near, however. I saw what I had not seen before, 

 viz., that the male was a specimen of that pretty aberration with all 

 the white spots confluent on the underside, named by Oberthur ab. 

 fannula. This discovery, 1 fear, put an end to my observations on 

 mating, as I thereupon enclosed them both in my net. Somewhat 

 beyond this a small colony of jackdaws attracted our attention, they 

 were very wary, unaccustomed to the presence of the human biped. 

 One or two chats that I did not know, and the wheatear, also put in 

 an appearance, and enlivened a scene that, though lovely indeed, was 

 nevertheless almost devoid of life. As weascended, l\ rehi a noniiDU' occavveA 

 not uncommonly, and hL epiphron, and I think it was here also that 1 

 took the only specimen of K. (i<»-<ie that we saw at Gavarnie. One 

 Heaperia sac likewise fell a captive to me, with the upperside very 

 black and the underside beautifully rosy. At last we emerged on to 

 the high bridle path near to the top of the pass, a path largely dug out 

 of the shaly side of the mountain, which appeared to be given up to 

 cattle, who were very unwilling to let us pass, until in the end we found 

 ourselves driving scores of heads before us, the foremost of which were 

 by no means easily forced along by the pressure of those behind. 

 After a time, however, we had the opportunity of a sudden rush along 

 the side of the mountain, and finally succeeded in turning them and in 

 having the rest of the way to ourselves. I had previously noticed on 

 the shaly screes above and below the path that the cattle had disturbed 

 some black butterflies, which I had no doubt were K. lefehi-rci, and so 

 it turned out to be, for I took a couple a little later on. Soon after this 

 I saw a dark coloured blue that I could not quite make out, and ere 

 long another came, but this time the opportunity was not lost, and I 



•iTTLY-AuausT, 1912. 



